Theistic Satanism: Home > Varieties
The varieties of theistic ("traditional") Satanism
by Diane Vera
Copyright © 2006 by Diane Vera. All rights reserved.
- Theistic ("traditional") Satanism in general
- Some specific forms of primary theistic Satanism
- Some secondary theistic Satanisms
- My critiques of some forms of Satanism
This page is a work in progress. There are many more kinds of theistic Satanism than I've documented below, so far.
- Theistic ("traditional") Satanism in general
For purposes of this website, a "Satanist" is anyone with a favorable regard for Satan, and a theistic Satanist is anyone who reveres Satan as a deity. There are many different kinds of theistic Satanism, as detailed further down on this page. But first, here are some links to pages about theistic Satanism in general:
- FAQ about theistic ("traditional") Satanism
- What is Satanism? and other Essays on the Black Goat Cabal site, including articles on the meanings of the terms (1) theistic Satanism, (2) "traditional Satanism," (3) "orthodox Satanism," and (4) Devil worship
- Excerpts from the original alt.satanism FAQ
- The section What is Satanism? in my somewhat out-of-date article Satanism and Me, written in the mid-1990's C.E.
- Public Satanism today
Some forms of primary theistic Satanism
By "primary theistic Satanism," I mean a religion, spirituality, or worldview in which Satan is not only believed in as a literal deity, but is also the primary (or sole) object of worship/reverence/veneration/whatever, or at least as one of the names of one's primary deity. Some of the more popular kinds are these:
- LaVey-based theistic Satanism. Based primarily on Anton LaVey's writings, but with a theistic interpretation, whereas most LaVeyans are atheistic symbolic Satanists.
- ToS-paradigm Satanism. Forms of theistic Satanism strongly influenced by the writings of Michael Aquino, founder of the Temple of Set, which itself no longer identifies as "Satanist," but which nevertheless has been a major influence on subsequent Satanist and "Left Hand Path" groups and writers. Geifodd's General definition of Satanism, written in 2001 or 2002, is a concise example of a ToS-based Satanist paradigm. (But Geifodd himself no longer holds this view; see Your Friendly Neightborhood Devil Worshiper for more recent writings of his.) The Society of the Onyx Star (SotOS), an offshoot of John Allee's First Church of Satan (FCoS), is an example of a group that adopted a ToS-based paradigm. (SotOS does not currently have a website.)
- Pantheistic or panentheistic Satanism. Pantheism is the belief that the universe itself is God. A related view, panentheism, is the belief that all things in the universe are part of God but God is more than the sum of all things. In pantheistic or panentheistic Satanism, Satan is seen as a name of "the All" or as a personification of some cosmic principle. Two of the better-known groups in this category are the First Church of Satan (FCoS) and OFS Demonolatry (archived site map here). The FCoS is also somewhat LaVey-based, whereas OFS Demonolatry is not at all LaVey-based. Pantheistic/panentheistic Satanism typically includes a lot of traditional Western occult philosophy, e.g. Hermetics. (Most occultists and most pantheists and panentheists, though, are not Satanists.) OFS Demonolatry sees Satan as "the All," whereas John Allee, founder of FCoS, sees Satan as one of the many names of a cosmic "male principle," as part of a cosmic All which contains both a "male principle" and a "female principle." Allee does not personally identify with the label "theistic," but his belief system does fit my own definition thereof.
- Polytheistic Satanism. Satan is the main focus of reverence, but is seen as one of many gods. The gods of many non-Abrahamic cultures are believed to exist and are not seen as mere servants of either Satan or Jehovah. In many though not all forms of polytheistic Satanism, Satan Himself is seen as the Christian-era manifestation of some known ancient pre-Abrahamic god, such as Set, Pan, Prometheus, Shiva, Loki, or Enki. Polytheistic Satanism overlaps with pantheistic Satanism, insofar as some polytheists are also pantheists or otherwise embrace the idea that all the many gods are facets of an underlying One. But polytheistic Satanism also includes hard polytheists, who see the gods as distinct entities and not facets of the One.
(My own group, the Church of Azazel, is polytheistic with a leaning toward hard polytheism, and does not officially identify Satan with any specific known pre-Abrahamic god. See Our core beliefs and their here-and-now basis and Theology of the Church of Azazel. See also Post-Copernican natural theology and The here-and-now principle in theology.)
- The "Joy of Satan" group, a highly idiosyncratic form of polytheistic Satanism, and its many offshoots. (See Joy of Satan (JoS), et al in my listing of Other theistic or theistic-friendly Satanism/LHP websites.)
- Gnostic Luciferianism, based on ancient Ophite Gnosticism, usually combined with subsequent Western occult traditions. Lucifer is typically seen as both a bringer of spiritual enlightenment and a champion of individual liberty. Some Luciferians are also strongly influenced by LaVeyan Satanism or by the Temple of Set paradigm, though most are not. Luciferians typically make a sharp distinction between "Lucifer" and "Satan" and between "Luciferianism" and "Satanism," although their idea of "Lucifer" typically does borrow at least some themes from the Christian Devil concept. But a few Gnostic Luciferians do identify as "Satanist" as well as "Luciferian"; a well-known example was Herbert Sloane's Lady of Endor Coven, founded back in 1948. Those relatively few Gnostic Luciferians who do see "Lucifer" and "Satan" as the same entity (or as aspects of the same entity) can be considered primary theistic Satanists. Because most Luciferians do not consider themselves to be "Satanists," I won't list any Luciferian groups here, but it is easy to find a few by Googling "Luciferian Gnostic."
- Christian-based duotheism, also known as "reverse Christianity." Essentially Christian in its theology, except for a belief that (1) Satan has at least some chance of winning in his war against the Creator and (2) such a victory is desirable, usually because Satan is seen as a champion of human freedom. Many non-Satanists erroneously assume that all Satanists are Christian-based duotheists. Many ex-Christian Satanists embrace some form of Christian-based duotheism when they first become Satanists, but in most cases move on to other beliefs later - sometimes other forms of Satanism, sometimes back to Christianity, and sometimes other religions.
See also my much longer list of Other theistic or theistic-friendly Satanism/LHP websites.
Some secondary theistic Satanisms
By a "secondary theistic Satanism," I mean a religion or spirituality in which Satan is part of the pantheon and is worshipped, revered, or at least propitiated in some way, at least to some extent, but is not the primary object of worship/veneration/reverence/emulation/whatever.
- Thelema. (Aleister Crowley did include Satan in his personal pantheon and in some of his rituals, e.g. Liber Samekh, but only as one of many gods. If you happen to know of a good article detailing this, please let me know and I'll link to it.)
- Those Gnostic Luciferians who revere Satan as well as Lucifer, but who see Satan as a distinct entity.
- On Exu by Clifford Low & Carol Dow (about some of the African Diaspora religions) on necronomi.com.
- More later.
The line between primary and secondary theistic Satanism can sometimes be hard to draw. For example, there are quite a few people who revere Satan as their sole or primary God, but who believe that "Satan" is "really" just a name given by Jews and Christians to some god who was worshipped in one or more older religions under other names, e.g. Set, Pan, Loki, or Enki. (And such forms of Satanism will sometimes give birth to new forms of Paganism that worship the god in question without calling that god "Satan" anymore. A prime example is Michael Aquino before he stopped calling himself a Satanist. Other examples include some of the Joy of Satan splinter groups.)
My critiques of some forms of Satanism
The Satanist scene is full of vicious, petty infighting. At the other extreme, some Satanists avoid criticizing other Satanist groups at all.
I believe that it's important for us to think about our own beliefs; and, as a means of helping us develop our own beliefs, it's desirable for Satanists to be able to talk freely about what does or does not make sense to us about the beliefs and practices of various Satanist groups and writers. Unfortunately, too many folks in the Satanist scene don't seem to realize that it's possible to debate about ideas and practices without stooping to petty insults, mud-slinging, and in many cases outright slander. Here on this website and in my forums, I aim to raise the level of dialogue.
Below are some of my disagreements with some of the beliefs and practices of some Satanists.
- In the section of this website on Rituals, magick, and devotional practices::
- Pacts and self-initiation - includes a critique of the tendency of some groups to encourage premature dedication rites.
- Why I don't recommend LaVey's rituals
- In the section of this website About Demons:
- In the section of this website on Social, legal, and political matters:
- On the Church of Azazel site:
- Needed: new kinds of Satanism
- Who and What is Satan? Various Satanist Interpretations
- A brief critique of Christian-based duotheism
- On the Black Goat Cabal site:
- Devil Worshipers:  Satanism's scapegoats? - a critique of those Satanists who use the term "Devil worshiper" as a putdown
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